Have Your Say On Dunedin's Digital Future

Subject to approval at next Tuesday's meeting of the Council's Economic Development committee, plans for the city's digital future will take another step towards realisation by inviting the public to comment on the draft strategy.

The draft strategy is a plan to provide for the digital communication needs of businesses, residents and visitors across all areas: commerce, information, education, healthcare and community services. Now, after extensive consultation with a wide range of community, academic and business groups the Council has completed the initial stage of developing a comprehensive digital strategy for the city.

The strategy itself takes a lead from central government's digital vision, which recognises the need to balance higher connection speeds with the availability of services, greater confidence and enhanced capability on the part of users.

So far the draft strategy puts it ahead of all the other main centres in New Zealand - a fact widely commented on by the national media.

The strategy is both an exciting opportunity for the city, and an urgently needed plan to provide Dunedin with essential contemporary infrastructure.

It is now time for the whole community to have a say on the draft strategy either by making a formal submission or completing a website survey. The digital strategy website will go live on 16 June 2010.

To participate, go to www.dunedin.govt.nz/dunedin-digital-strategy after that date.

Cr Dave Cull, who has chaired the steering committee in identifying a strategy, says "It is important that this continues to be a community-driven project which responds to the needs of the whole community it will eventually serve - which is why we now need to find out what the public thinks about what we have come up with."